Marina Tran-Vu graduated from the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business in 2010 with a Bachelors of Commerce with a focus in marketing. She is currently working as a media planning assistant for Cossette Communications.

While you are in school, grades have a lot of significance. Often students assume that grades are required on resumés. But outside of school, grades are usually a whole lot less significant than they have been while you were a student.

Tears began to well up in my eyes. The more I tried to resist them, the more they accumulated. After seconds of hovering, tiny drops spilled over my lower eyelids and slowly trickled down my cheek. The words “organizational restructuring,” “downsizing” and “financial constraints” echoed in my ear minutes after I hung up the telephone.

When asked what their entry-level salary expectations were, some Canadian students said they expected a whopping $70,000, and one individual had expectations well above $100,000. They claimed that work-life balance wasn’t a priority for them and working 100 hours a week was okay.

On an internship facilitated by AIESEC and sponsored by the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, Curtis Riep (right) volunteered in Gujarat at the Research Foundation for Governance in India, a non-government organization conducting research on civil rights, proper governance, and other socio-political issues.

Jerilyn is a recent journalism grad who is looking for meaningful work in her field. However, as many of you know from personal experience, writing for a living can be tough. She has a lot of the right experience under her belt—she has interned with CBC News in Montreal and writes weekly for Examiner.com—but she wanted some extra help with interviewing.

Before Greig Perantinos was 20, he opened his first Cool Moose Creamery store in Tottenham, Ont. Since then he has expanded his business to neighbouring Alliston and will be opening a new store this year in Cookstown.

The moment you graduate (even a little before, actually), your name pops up on the alumni list of your university or college. But your affiliation with the school can get you more than a degree or diploma — they come along with numerous and exciting perks that benefit both your social life and your career.

If you’re considering switching programs or going back to school to update your skills or change career paths, check out these new and unique college programs in Ontario, including Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management at Niagara College.

Karen Cleveland, marketing and communications manager at St. Joseph Media in Toronto, says there are a few things students and new grads can do to ensure that transition goes as smoothly as possible.